The Basics About Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College is a private institution that was founded in 1794. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,777, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 205 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Bowdoin College's ranking in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 6. Its tuition and fees are $41,565.
Overview: Bowdoin College
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General Information
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Institutional Control:
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Private
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Year founded:
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1794
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Religious affiliation:
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N/A
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Academic calendar:
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semester
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Fall 2009 Total number of undergraduates:
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1,777
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Setting:
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suburban
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2009 Endowment:
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$688,384,000
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Fall Admissions
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Application deadline:
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1/1
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Application fee:
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$60
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Fall 2009 Acceptance rate:
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19%
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Selectivity:
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most selective
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Expenses
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Costs:
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2010-2011 Tuition and Fees: $41,565
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Student Life at Bowdoin College
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Bowdoin College is located in the coastal New England town of Brunswick, Maine. The Bowdoin Polar Bears compete in 31 varsity sports in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference. Bowdoin has more than 100 student organizations. One of the largest and most active groups is the Outing Club, which offers 100 excursions each year. Peucinian Society, founded in 1805, is one of the oldest literary and intellectual societies in the country, with alumni including poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Bowdoin abolished fraternities in 1997 and replaced them with a system of college-owned social houses. Freshmen are required to live on campus and are assigned to a college house that provides residential social activities.
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Other Facts About Bowdoin College
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Bowdoin was a men’s college until 1971, when the school admitted its first female students. It was also one of the first selective schools to make the SAT and ACT optional on its application in 1969. More than half of Bowdoin students study abroad for a semester through more than 100 affiliated academic programs. Notable alumni include former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Melville Weston Fuller, author Nathaniel Hawthorne, former U.S. President Franklin Pierce, and human sexuality and gender researcher Alfred Kinsey—subject of the 2004 biographical film bearing his surname.
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Mission (as provided by the school)
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A liberal arts education at Bowdoin is not about being small and safe; it is about having the support to take surprising risks. That means caring more about the questions than giving the right answers, discovering you are good at something you did not think was your strength and making connections where none appear to exist. Bowdoin's curriculum offers a bold blueprint for liberal education designed to inspire students to become world citizens with acute sensitivity to the social and natural world. Its interdisciplinary focus encourages students to make connections among subjects, discover disciplines that excite their imaginations and develop keen skills for addressing the challenges of a changing world. A Bowdoin education is best summed up by "The Offer of the College": To be at home in all lands and all ages; To count Nature a familiar acquaintance, And Art an intimate friend; To gain a standard for the appreciation of others' work, And the criticism of your own; To carry the keys of the world's library in your pocket, And feel its resources behind you in whatever task you undertake; To make hosts of friends ... Who are to be leaders in all walks of life; To lose yourself in generous enthusiasms, And cooperate with others for common ends. This is the offer of the college for the best four years of your life. --Adapted from the original "Offer of the College" by William DeWitt Hyde, President of Bowdoin College, 1885-1917.
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Applications: Bowdoin College
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Regular Decision
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Application deadline:
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1/1
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Notification date:
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N/A
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Deadline for accepting admissions offers:
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June 1 (Fall)
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Early Decision
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Is an early decision plan offered?
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Yes
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Early decision deadline:
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11/15
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Early decision decision sent by:
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12/15
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Early Action
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Is an early action plan offered?
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No
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Early action deadline:
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N/A
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Early action decision sent by:
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N/A
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Application Fee
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Application fee:
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$60
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Is the application fee refundable?
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No
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Can the application fee be waived for students with financial need?
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Yes
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Is it possible to defer admission?
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Yes
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Application Formats
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Can applications be submitted via E-mail?
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No
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Electronic application URL:
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http://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/apply/
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Tuition and Room Deposits
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Tuition deposit:
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$300
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Is the tuition deposit refundable?
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Nonrefundable
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Room deposit:
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N/A
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Is the room deposit refundable?
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Nonrefundable
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Contact Information
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Admissions director:
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Scott A. Meiklejohn
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Admissions office phone number:
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(207) 725-3100
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Admissions E-mail:
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Requirements and Factors: Bowdoin College
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Admission Requirements
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Admission interview?
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Recommended
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Campus visit?
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Recommended
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Off-campus interviews?
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may be arranged with an admission representative
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Does the school have an open admission policy?
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No
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Does the college use SAT or ACT scores in admissions decisions for first-time, first-year applicants?
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Yes
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Standardized tests?
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Neither SAT nor ACT required.
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ACT Writing test?
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ACT with or without writing accepted
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SAT/ACT scores must be received by:
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01/01
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SAT Subject Test scores must be received by:
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01/01
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High school completion requirement for admissions:
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High school diploma is required and GED is not accepted
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General college-preparatory program?
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Require
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Academic Factors Used in Admissions Decisions
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Rigor of secondary school record?
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Very Important
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Class rank?
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Very Important
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Academic GPA?
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Very Important
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Standardized test scores?
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Important
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Application essay?
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Very Important
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Recommendations?
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Very Important
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Nonacademic Factors Used in Admissions Decisions
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Interview?
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Considered
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Extracurricular activities?
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Very Important
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Talent/ability?
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Very Important
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Character/personal qualities?
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Very Important
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Being a first-generation college student?
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Important
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Alumni/ae relations?
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Important
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Geographical residence?
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Considered
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State residency?
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Considered
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Religious affiliation/commitment?
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Not Considered
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Race/ethnicity?
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Considered
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Volunteer work?
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Not Considered
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Work experience?
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Not Considered
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Level of the applicant's interest?
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Not Considered
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Required High School Course Work
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Recommended High School Course Work
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High school units recommended in English:
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4
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High school units recommended in Foreign languages:
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4
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High school units recommended in Mathematics:
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4
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High school units recommended in Science:
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4
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High school units recommended in Science Labs:
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3
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High school units recommended in Social Studies:
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4
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Total high school units recommended:
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20
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Entering Class Statistics: Bowdoin College
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Fall 2009 Selectivity
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Selectivity:
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most selective
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Fall 2009 Acceptance rate:
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19%
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Early decision acceptance rate:
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30%
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Early action acceptance rate:
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N/A
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Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students):
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18%
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Fall 2009 Applications, Acceptances, and Enrollments
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Number of applicants:
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5,940
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Number of applicants accepted:
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1,153
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Freshman enrollment for Fall 2009:
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494
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Percent of total enrolled incoming freshmen who been accepted under either early acceptance or early action:
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41%
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Number of male applicants:
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2,608
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Number of male applicants accepted for Fall 2009:
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575
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Male freshman enrollment:
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241
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Number of female applicants:
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3,332
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Number of female applicants accepted Fall 2009:
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578
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Female freshman enrollment:
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253
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Fall 2009 Wait List
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Does the school have a waiting list?
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Yes
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Number of applicants placed on a waiting list:
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N/A
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Number of students on the wait list accepted:
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N/A
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Number of students enrolled from a waiting list:
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N/A
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Fall 2009 High School Rank
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Percent of first-year students submitting high school class standing:
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52%
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2009 Freshmen in top 10 percent of high school class:
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82%
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2009 Freshmen in top 25 percent of high school class:
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96%
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2009 Freshmen in top 50 percent of high school class:
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100%
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Fall 2009 High School GPA
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Percent of first-year students submitting high school GPA:
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N/A
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Average high school GPA:
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N/A
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Fall 2009 Freshmen SAT Scores
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Percent of first-year students submitting SAT scores:
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75%
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SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range:
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660-750
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SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range:
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660-750
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SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range:
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660-750
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SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range:
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N/A
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 700-800 range:
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57%
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 600-699 range:
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34%
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 500-599 range:
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9%
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 400-499 range:
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0%
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 300-399 range:
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0%
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Percent with SAT Critical Reading scores in the 200-299 range:
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0%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 700-800 range:
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58%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 600-699 range:
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35%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 500-599 range:
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7%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 400-499 range:
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0%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 300-399 range:
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0%
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Percent with SAT Math scores in the 200-299 range:
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0%
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Fall 2009 Freshmen ACT Scores
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Percent of first-year students submitting ACT scores:
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28%
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ACT English 25th-75th percentile range:
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31-34
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ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range:
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27-33
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ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range:
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30-33
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Percent with ACT English scores in the 30-36 range:
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83%
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Percent with ACT English scores in the 24-29 range:
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15%
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Percent with ACT English scores in the 18-23 range:
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2%
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Percent with ACT English scores in the 12-17 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT English scores in the 6-11 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT English scores below 6:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Math scores in the 30-36 range:
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58%
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Percent with ACT Math scores in the 24-29 range:
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36%
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Percent with ACT Math scores in the 18-23 range:
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6%
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Percent with ACT Math scores in the 12-17 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Math scores in the 6-11 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Math scores below 6:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores in the 30-36 range:
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76%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores in the 24-29 range:
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21%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores in the 18-23 range:
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3%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores in the 12-17 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores in the 6-11 range:
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0%
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Percent with ACT Composite scores below 6:
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0%
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Transfer Students: Bowdoin College
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Deadlines
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Terms for which transfer students may apply for admission:
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Fall
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Application date for transfer students:
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March 1 (Fall)
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Admission decision sent:
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May 1 (Fall)
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Deadline for accepting admissions offers:
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June 1 (Fall)
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Requirements
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Do transfer applicants need a minimum number of credits to apply?
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Yes, 8
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Minimum required high school GPA:
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0
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Minimum required college GPA:
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3.0
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High school transcript?
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Required of all
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College transcript?
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Required of all
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Essay/personal statement?
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Required of all
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Admission interview?
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Recommended of all
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Standardized test scores?
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Not required
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Statement of good standing from prior institution(s)?
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Required of all
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Lowest course grade that may be transferred for credit:
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C-
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Maximum number of credit/courses that may be transferred:
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0 from a two-year school, 16 from a four-year school
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Is there a minimum number of credits needed to complete degree?
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16 credits for a bachelor's degree
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Transfer Student Application and Enrollment Statistics
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Total number of transfer students applying for Fall 2009:
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161
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Total number of transfer students accepted for Fall 2009:
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8
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Total number of transfer students enrolled for Fall 2009:
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3
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International Student Admissions: Bowdoin College
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Deadlines and Requirements
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Application deadline:
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January 1 (Fall)
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Preapplication form required?
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No
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Separate application form required?
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Yes
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TOEFL
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TOEFL requirement?
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N/A
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May the TOEFL be submitted in place of the SAT or ACT?
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N/A
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Minimum TOEFL score required (paper test):
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600
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Minimum TOEFL score required (internet test):
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250
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Average TOEFL score (paper test):
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N/A
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Average TOEFL score (internet test):
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N/A
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